Clever dialogue and Whedon's affinity for character development, have 'Astonishing rivaling Grant Morrison's 'New X-Men run and even the classic Chris Claremont-John Byrne issues in the minds of comic fans.īill Willingham's 'Fables, about fairy tale characters living secretly in the real world, kicked it up a notch in 2004, as agents of the Adversary, who originally removed the Fables from their homeworld, are preparing to march on Fabletown in the real world. Scott and Emma have started a relationship, which irks Kitty Pryde, returning to the X-Men after a long absence. the White Queen, re-form the X-Men after the death (again) of Jean Grey. Cyclops, and former villain and telepath Emma Frost, a.k.a. Whedon, a longtime comics fan, is writing an instant classic run for X-fans and brings a great facility for dialogue to the team.

The result is a beautifully illustrated run that hearkens back to the glory days of the title. 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon takes on the X-Men with artist John Cassaday ('Planetary). Vaughan and artist Tony Harris ('Starman) created this science fiction political thriller, which mixes 'The West Wing with 'Unbreakable. 'Ex Machina, from DC Comics' WildStorm imprint, examines how fighting political battles can be just as challenging as punching supervillains. When he feels he can't change the way things are as a hero, he retires and runs for mayor of New York, winning by a landslide. Mitchell Hundred is the world's first superhero, called 'The Great Machine, with the ability to control mechanical objects. 'Demo is an experiment in serial storytelling that is a success on every level. 8's Nick, a man dealing with a lost love, Wood has created fully realized characters in 32-page installments. 5's Kate, a young woman cursed to fulfill other's expectations, to No. 4's blue-collar James McMurray, third-generation factory worker, to No.

Each issue is a complete tale, with an entirely new cast and different art style. Young people coming to terms with their powers, a retired hero turned politician and fairy-tale characters living in the real world were among the top 10 best comic book series in 2004.īrian Wood and Becky Cloonan examine the trials of youth, through the lens of young people with unusual powers.

Demo by brian wood